Life and Death Look Light, No Regrets in the World

Zhou Hao took Ye Zi's hand and asked with a smile, "Ye Zi, how much do you know about this stockade?"

"I know it very well, because I've lived here since I was little," Ye Zi said with squinting eyes and a smile.

You're a child right now too, Zhou Hao thought to himself, then smiled and said, "Then can you tell me about Shilpo Mountain Stronghold?"

Ye Zi gave a pure smile and nodded, "Of course."

Zhou Hao smiled slightly and listened as Ye Zi recounted the development history of Shilpo Mountain Stronghold.

After learning more, Zhou Hao discovered that Ye Zi was an infant found by Shi Po and had grown up in Shilpo Mountain Stronghold. Therefore, when Shi Po died, Ye Zi was actually the most heartbroken, as Shi Po was the person closest to him.

Fifteen years ago, bandits were rampant in this area. At that time, Shi Po, along with two brothers, recruited soldiers and horses, intending to establish a foothold in the vicinity.

Because Shi Po's strength was already at the Mystic Body Fifth Level, with only his right limb left uncultivated, his cultivation was considered top-tier at the time, so many were willing to follow him.

However, after Shi Po established the stronghold, he didn't rob travelers like other bandits. Instead, he changed his methods to escorting travelers and earning fees from it.

This naturally encroached upon the interests of others. But Shilpo Mountain Stronghold was very powerful at the time. None of the other bandit strongholds could confidently defeat Shilpo Mountain Stronghold on their own.

This led to the other strongholds uniting to prepare to deal with Shilpo Mountain Stronghold.

So you're hurting our profits, huh? Then we'll make you die.

These bandits, driven by this mindset, surrounded Shilpo Mountain Stronghold.

The great battle was imminent. Shi Po was brave and skilled in combat. Under the siege of several individuals in the Mystic Body Realm, he focused on one of them and brutally pounded him into a pulp.

After a fierce battle, the few disunited strongholds, even when combined, were ultimately just a pile of loose sand. No one wanted to exert the most effort, and no one wanted to be at the forefront. Such an alliance was clearly doomed to fail.

Finally, Shi Po broke through during the battle, advancing to the Mysterious Body Sixth Level. At the cost of severe injuries, he killed three individuals at the Mystic Body Second Level and heavily wounded two at the Mystic Body Fourth Level.

That battle established the reputation of Shilpo Mountain Stronghold. The various strongholds suffered heavy losses, and after that, those strongholds could no longer sustain themselves. Under the protection of Shilpo Mountain Stronghold, travelers could not be robbed.

So, in the end, everyone dispersed. From then on, Shilpo Mountain Stronghold was the only dominant force in the area. As for the Tiger Fiend Stockade, it was established later.

However, due to that great battle, Shi Po developed chronic health issues and was unable to break through further in the Mystic Body Realm.

Afterward, Shilpo Mountain Stronghold steadily developed under his leadership until the present day.

After understanding, Zhou Hao nodded and praised, "Shi Po was indeed quite remarkable."

It's just that his strength was a bit low. But those who become bandits generally don't have high strength, and their talent probably isn't great either. Otherwise, any job would be more promising than being a bandit.

Of course, it would be different for bandits who specifically intercepted and robbed the strong, because those people were doing big business.

Hearing Zhou Hao praise Shi Po, Ye Zi immediately nodded heavily with a smile, "Yes, Uncle Shi Po is a good person."

Zhou Hao smiled, patted Ye Zi's head, and asked, "Do you know about the outside world?"

Ye Zi paused for a moment, then shook her head, "I haven't been out yet!"

Zhou Hao nodded slightly, not surprised by this answer. This place seemed quite remote, and there weren't many people to see if one went out.

If it weren't for the relatively easy road here, bandits probably wouldn't have appeared in this location.

Generally, those who traveled this road were small merchants and passersby. The overall characteristic of these people was low strength, but they had to do business to make a living.

This made them easy targets for bandits. However, with Shilpo Mountain Stronghold in charge, they could travel this road safely by paying a small fee, which was a relatively good outcome.

Zhou Hao looked around and said to Ye Zi with a smile, "Would you mind showing me around the stockade?"

"Okay!" Ye Zi said with a beaming smile.

Zhou Hao smiled, "Then let's go!"

Ice and Snow Divine Realm

"Your Majesty, why do you suddenly need so many books?" the old woman in the library asked, stooping.

She was the guardian of the library, Old Ke.

Murong chuckled as she flipped through the books, "Someone needs them."

Old Ke nodded and didn't ask further, then inquired, "Do you need me to make some jade slips? That would be more convenient."

"No need to trouble you. Physical books are fine. It's best to read them when you have time; it's the optimal choice for cultivating one's character." Murong closed the book and, with a wave of her jade hand, all twenty-three books disappeared.

Old Ke walked up to Murong, leaning on his cane. He patted her head and sighed with a smile, "The little girl from back then has grown up so much. If I could, I truly wish I could trade my remaining years for you to continue living."

Murong's hand trembled slightly. She reached out and hugged Old Ke, burying her head in his neck. After a moment of silence, she chuckled lightly, "As you always say, one should view life and death with detachment and live without regrets."

"Easier said than done, but is it really that easy to achieve?" Old Ke sighed and shook his head.

Murong smiled, let go of Old Ke, and changed the subject, curiously asking, "Old Ke, do you have a cultivation partner?"

Old Ke paused and looked at Murong with confusion, "Why the sudden question?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and a glint appeared in her cloudy eyes. She looked at Murong excitedly and said, "Do you have someone?"

Murong looked up, thought for a moment, and nodded gently with a smile, "I suppose so!"

"Where are they from? What's their cultivation level? Are they good to you? What's their background? When will you bring them..." Old Ke asked excitedly.

"Stop, stop," Murong quickly interrupted, "Let's talk about it later! It's not entirely clear yet."

Old Ke chuckled, "Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore. I understand."

Murong didn't know what she understood, but she continued to steer the conversation back and asked curiously, "Do you have a cultivation partner?"

"Sigh~" Old Ke sighed faintly and shook his head. "I liked someone, but I never confessed. I gave up that relationship for cultivation. Thinking about it now, it's still a bit of a pity!"

Murong raised an eyebrow. So Old Ke also had no romantic experience! She had originally wanted to ask for advice, but now it seemed unnecessary.

She thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Do you want me to find a grandpa for you to keep you company?"

Old Ke gave her a huge eye-roll. "You're this old and you're still doing this? Aren't you ashamed?"

Murong smiled. "What's wrong with that? Pursuing love knows no age."

These words were told to her by Song Tianling, and she was now relaying them to Old Ke.

Old Ke was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Murong in astonishment, then let out a chuckle.

"As expected, once she found a partner, even Her Majesty, who was always so unfeeling, became more open. Love truly is a wondrous thing in this world."

Murong was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood. However, those weren't her words from just now.

But she didn't say anything and instead took her leave. "Old Ke, I'm leaving now. You should go rest!"

"Go on!" Old Ke waved his hand.

The next moment, Murong's figure vanished.

Old Ke looked at the empty space in front of him, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes. After a long while, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Sigh~"

This sigh lingered in the library for a long time, eventually fading into nothingness